Ichiraku Confessions
by Abunai Himitsu
Summary: Ayame and Teuchi have a fight and Teuchi asks Naruto to fill in, as her, until she returns. Naruto learns some interesting things while in Ayame's form. This is NOT a fem!Naru. It's a Yaoi. KakaNaru
1. Prologue

For many years, the shop owner of Ichiraku Ramen and his daughter have been kind to Naruto. They were kind to him when others were not. Teuchi, the owner, had shown the first stroke of kindness when the blonde was only five. He'd seen a small blonde boy with whiskered cheeks carrying a bag of groceries. It was rather cute, Teuchi had thought, the boy was almost smaller than the bag he was carrying. Unfortunately, a villager purposefully tripped the young boy. The groceries were immediately lost. People trampled over the food and did nothing to help him up.

Teuchi knew why. He knew that this was the Jinchuuriki, but he had learned that it was a waste of time to hold a grudge against the boy. He wasn't Kyuubi reborn, he just carried the demon and that protected the village. Why couldn't everyone see him that way? He was a hero! The man exited his shop after calling his daughter out to the stand. He walked over to the small boy and helped him up. There were confused and upset tears running down Naruto's whiskered cheeks. Teuchi took the blonde over to his shop and gave the boy a free bowl of ramen. He always took great pride in being the one to cause Naruto's obsession with the food.

He'd never go out of business with Naruto around. He was always coming for a bowl or five. After a few years, Naruto started bringing friends. Teuchi's business couldn't breathe easier. Then, Teuchi and his daughter had an argument. A rather heavy and burden filled argument. Ayame left. Teuchi didn't want anyone to know that the two had had such a terrible fight. He knew of only one thing he could do. Naruto knew everything about their business and had even assisted in making ramen a few times. Teuchi headed for the boy's apartment and sucked in a deep breath. He would have to forego his pride and ask Naruto for help.

"You want me to transform into Ayame until you and her stop fighting, so no one will know?" Naruto felt his eye twitch involuntarily.

"Yes, you see…" Teuchi sighed. "Part of Ichiraku's atmosphere is a family oriented one. Without Ayame, it's not the same."

"Well, I understand… but…" Naruto paused and thought it over for a moment. "Hmm… you know what? For you, anything. I just get free ramen while I work there!"  
"You've got it, Naruto!" Teuchi chuckled.

* * *

Heee... prologue.

I'll be posting Chapter 1 later, I hope.


	2. Chapter 1

Naruto stood, in the form of Ayame, solemnly as rain poured down in sheets signaling the start of monsoon season. Both Teuchi and Naruto knew that customer's probably wouldn't be coming to their shop. Yet, Naruto didn't want Teuchi to be alone on such a miserable day. Only problem with such an honorable idea was; Naruto wasn't very fun on rainy days himself. He stayed in Ayame's form just in case, but the conversation between him and the ramen shop owner said otherwise. Teuchi was about ready to close up and that way they could just go into the house and chat, when someone rushed in.

"Woo…" The man shook his hands of water and then used them to push his wet hair back from his face.

"Oh, Kakashi-san!" Teuchi was quite surprised.

"Oh! You're all wet! I'll get you a towel!" Naruto said as politely as he could while hiding the desire to laugh at the drenched Jounin.

"Thank you, Ayame-san!" Kakashi called after the retreating form of the shop owner's daughter. He took a seat at the counter and looked at the empty chairs.

"Here you are, Kakashi-san." Naruto returned and handed the towel to his teacher with a shy smile.

The blonde boy was lucky that he knew Ayame and Teuchi so well that he could pretend to be either without error. This would come in handy until Ayame returned. He was pretty sure he could fool even his own teacher, the great Hatake Kakashi. So far, in fact, Kakashi had no inclination of Ayame's truly being Naruto. He dried himself and settled the towel around himself to keep him warm. It was a cool rain that was pouring down. The silver haired man didn't want to be inconvenienced by a simple cold.

"So, would you like some ramen, Kakashi-san?" Teuchi asked.

"Hm? Oh, I don't see why not." Kakashi's visible eye arched happily. "I'm surprised to see that Naruto's not here."

"Why do you say that, Kakashi-san?" It came out of Naruto before he could stop himself. He was just lucky that he remembered to sound like Ayame.

"Even on rainy days, he likes to come visit with you two." Kakashi stated factually.

"Oh? How do you know that?" Teuchi blinks with interest.

"I know everything." Kakashi chuckled bemusedly.

"If you say things like that, people might think you're stalking them." Teuchi states light heartedly and Naruto mentally agrees with him.

"True, true." Kakashi gives a throaty chuckle. "To be honest, I tend to keep tabs on Naruto more than he knows."

Teuchi sets the bowl of ramen down in front of Kakashi and gives Ayame a glance. Naruto manages to keep Ayame's face relatively clear of any of his own emotions. He tries to keep just curiosity apparent on the woman's features. Kakashi gazes down at the ramen that sits before him. He wasn't all that hungry actually. He just didn't feel right about coming to the stand, without buying from the man that had always treated Naruto so kindly. Sure, ramen wasn't exactly healthy, but as long as that blonde ball of spastic energy liked it, Kakashi would make an exception.

"How do you mean?" Teuchi inquires, pulling Kakashi back to Earth.

"Hm?"

"You said you keep tabs on Naruto more than he knows, Kakashi-san." Naruto says.

"Oh…" Kakashi grins under his mask. "Ah, those noodles are being overcooked."

Kakashi points at the basin that is holding the said noodles. Both Teuchi and Naruto rush to it. Once their pulled out and they turn back to Kakashi. He's finished pulling his mask up and the bowl is left empty of the noodles. Naruto inwardly hopes that Kakashi will one day teach him how to inhale food like that without choking. It's rather impressive when you really think about it. Yet, he knows to act like it's a normal occurrence for Ayame. After all, she's seen him do it many times. Now, the Jounin's sitting at the counter, chin in his hand, elbow propped next to the bowl. His finger taps his cheek a couple times.

"I just can't leave him alone." Kakashi mutters suddenly.

"What was that, Kakashi-san?" Naruto asks, even though he'd heard the man loud and clear.

"Nothing." Kakashi's eye arches again. "Thanks for the food!"

He pays and disappears in a small puff of smoke. The Ayame look a like and Teuchi were left rather perturbed by Kakashi. However, Teuchi was also rather amused at the expression that Naruto was wearing on his daughter's face. He looked absolutely lost and horribly confused. After a few awkward minutes, Naruto snapped out of his reverie and helped Teuchi close up. Afterwards, Naruto made the quick and treacherous trip back to his own apartment through the rain. He took a nice warm shower and changed into clean and dry clothes.

Finally, the blonde sat down in his small living room and stared at the wall. What had Kakashi meant? Naruto pondered his teacher's statement. Well, former teacher. Naruto had become a Chuunin and no longer needed a teacher. Now, Kakashi was more of a captain, like Yamato was. The blonde sighed heavily. He wasn't sure what Kakashi had meant. Who knows, maybe the silver haired man just thought he needed to be watched still. That Naruto wasn't quite capable of watching over himself. Naruto frowned at the idea. He'd proven more than once that he was quite good at surviving.

* * *

Naruto yawned widely as Ayame. It was really early in the morning and he was standing inside the house behind Ichiraku's Ramen stand. It was another rainy day outside. Not quite as heavy as the day before, but still too heavy to be out in. Teuchi was standing behind the counter as Naruto joined him. The two watched the water streaming from the sky. Naruto snorted, it was monsoon season after all. They were looking at a good month's worth of rain. And they called this Fire Country. The two stood and idly chattered. Naruto was glad to have some time to get to know Teuchi again.

The man was always a good source of support when he was growing up. He and Ayame were the first two people to be nice to him. This almost felt like spending time with a grandfather. It reminded Naruto of all the time he used to spend with Jiraiya when they weren't training. Comfortable, relaxing and memorable. Naruto loved to learn about people. He didn't talk about himself too much. Sure, he talked about a lot of things, but it usually pertained to the way he lived life. Not his life in particular. Although, many people assumed they knew him very well. They just knew his ideals.

No one knew his favorite color wasn't orange. In fact, he always had a thing for grays and silvers. He had started wearing them more recently. Exchanging the orange he'd simply used to catch everyone's attaching for the darker and more monotone shades. Sakura had said she was glad to see him out of orange. She always thought he'd looked horrible in it. Naruto couldn't blame her, but he couldn't help that orange was a good eye catcher. Even on days like these, the orange he used to wear would shine through to everyone.

"Looks like another slow and rainy day." Teuchi stated.

"Yeah." Naruto agreed.

Suddenly, two people ran into the stand. Naruto looked at them and rushed off to grab two towels. He rushes back and sees the two sitting at the counter. Naruto hands over the towels and smiles sweetly. The two take the offered towel and smile gratefully. They're both women. In fact, one woman is Sakura and the other woman is Ino. The sit quietly for a moment while drying off before ordered ramen to eat. Then, Ino starts to giggle.

"But Sakura… how can you be sure?" Ino looks over at Sakura.

"Trust me, I know Kakashi better than you do." Sakura says.

"Yeah, but you saw him do that one time." Ino states.

"No, more than once. It's just been a few years since I caught him again." Sakura said with a grin. "I'm telling you, Kakashi's not straight."

"But he reads those books all the time!" Ino retorts.

"I know, but I just know that Kakashi isn't actually into woman. Or, he's at least bisexual." Sakura decides.

"Okay, I can believe bisexual." Ino nodes in agreement. "So, why Naruto?"

"Well, even I have to admit, Naruto's something special." Sakura said carefully. "Not really sure how to explain it, but he attracts people to him."

"Well, yes. I consider him a friend now even though I didn't care for him during the academy." Ino nodded.

Teuchi places two bowls of ramen in front of the women and they smile happily. Naruto stood as Ayame, shocked to hear the two talking about something so easily around Teuchi and him. It made the blonde wonder how often people came here without him and talked about these things around Ayame and Teuchi. He stood as politely and innocently as he could. He was fighting the urge to interject. He was steadily growing more curious about what they were talking about. What did Kakashi have to do with him? And was Sakura right about his sexuality?

"But… I just don't see why he would attract… that kind of attention." Ino said.

"Well, you remember what Sai and Shikamaru said about him, right?" Sakura asked her friend.

"Yes." Ino nodded.

"That should explain it all." Sakura giggled.

"Hmmm… I still don't get it, but either way. It should be interesting." Ino also allowed a small giggle.

When the two women paid and left, Teuchi stood chuckling next to Naruto. It was turning into a rather interesting business, pretending to be Ayame. What was going to happen next? Who else was going to stop into the ramen stand and talk about him? Talk about Kakashi? The blonde helped Teuchi close up shop. The old man made up a serving of ramen for the boy to take back to his apartment as thanks. The blonde rushed home and got home without being completely drenched. Naruto sat in his kitchen and started to nibble on the noodles. Tomorrow was going to be just as unusual, Naruto realized. Ayame and Teuchi probably listened to a lot of conversations like those.

* * *

Yes, two days in one chapter! Why? Because it's monsoon season and so Ichiraku's isn't staying open for long during the day. You're just seeing small sections of the day that will lead up to more. Poor clueless Naruto! XD


	3. Chapter 2

Another rainy day, Naruto mused as he stood behind the counter at Ichiraku's Ramen stand. This felt like it was going to be a rather long season. Perhaps it was because he was transformed as Ayame? Either way, he wasn't fond with the fact that he was still standing and no one had stopped by. Teuchi was checking to make sure that no water was leaking into a few weaker parts of the building, so Naruto didn't have anyone to chat with. He sighed deeply, not even surprised that it came out in Ayame's voice.

"Something wrong, Ayame-san?" Naruto nearly jumped out of the skin he was in at the voice.

"Oh, Kakashi-san!" Naruto gasped and smiled embarrassedly.

"Yo." Kakashi smiled, his eye arching.

"I'll go get you a towel." Naruto dashed off into the house and grabbed a nice large fluffy towel for the man.

He came back out and saw Kakashi looking at the empty stools worriedly. Naruto kept himself from raising an eyebrow. The silver haired man looked over and smiled at Ayame's form again. Naruto smiled back politely and handed him the towel. He waited until the Jounin was done drying off before asking if he wanted some ramen. His former teacher nodded and draped the towel around his shoulders. Naruto went over and set to work on a bowl of ramen for Kakashi. The Jounin placed his chin on his hand and propped his elbow on the counter while he waited. He watched Ayame make the ramen, marveling at how much she worked like her father.

"Here you are, Kakashi-san!" Naruto placed the bowl in front of Kakashi proudly.

"Thank you." Kakashi said.

"Ayame, I need your help real quick." Teuchi had stepped into the stand briefly to call Naruto back.

"Certainly, father." Naruto smiled and bowed to excuse himself.

Kakashi watched as Ayame hurried into the home behind the stand. He looked down at the ramen and grinned. He slid his mask off and made quick work of the noodles. This time, he was able to enjoy the taste a little more than usual. No one was around to see him without his mask. He finished off the soup and pulled his mask back on, just in time for Ayame to return. Naruto noted that Kakashi had already finished the ramen. He mentally groaned; he'd wanted to see Kakashi's face. Then, he heard a rather troubled sigh come from the Jounin.

"Something wrong, Kakashi-san?" Naruto asked as sweetly as possible.

"Hm?" Kakashi glanced up from staring at the stools next to him.

"You sighed." Naruto said with a shy smile.

"Oh…" Kakashi smiled. "I just haven't seen Naruto around in a while. Sakura said she hasn't seen him in a few days either."

"I see." Naruto fought to contain himself from acting out.

"Have you or Teuchi-san seen him lately?" Kakashi asked.

"We saw Naruto yesterday." Naruto smiled.

"Does he look like he's doing alright?" Kakashi prompted.

"Yes, why?" Naruto tried to keep his voice as light as possible.

"I haven't seen Naruto since the monsoon season started…" Kakashi grumbled a little. Naruto had never seen him like this; it was as if he were pouting. "I'm a little jealous of you, Ayame-san!"

"Kakashi-san!" Naruto allowed Ayame's cheeks to flush.

"Sorry, sorry." Kakashi chuckled.

"I can only imagine what you were like when Naruto had left with Jiraiya for two and a half years." Naruto almost slapped his hand over Ayame's face when he blurted that out.

"That's why no one really saw me much." Kakashi chuckled and paid for the ramen. "Thank you for the food!"

Before Naruto could respond, his teacher was gone in a soft poof. Honestly, how were people supposed to thank him when he always ran off?! Naruto pouted slightly. Maybe he'd have to make a clone to join Kakashi next time he came by. A few minutes later, Teuchi came up front and the two closed the shop early once again. Naruto waved to Teuchi and headed to his apartment. He stepped in and shook his hair of all the water that had collected in it. The blonde was drenched. Absolutely soaking wet. And he was cold. So, he walked towards his bedroom, but stopped dead when he saw a basket on his kitchen table.

"Huh?"

Naruto wandered over to the table and looked at the basket. It was filled with all kinds of fruit. Pineapple, peaches, pears, grapes, apples and oranges. Naruto spotted a note and picked it from the basket. He opened it and read it through.

_Naruto,_

_Here's some fruit. Eat it._

_Kakashi_

The blonde grinned and set the note down. He headed to his room to change into dry clothes. Kakashi always brought him fruit because he knew that Naruto hated vegetables. He went back into his kitchen and grabbed a pear, biting into it. Yes, the next time Kakashi came to Ichiraku, he'd make a clone to chat with him. The Chuunin snuggled down into the sofa he'd bought a few months earlier and yawned. It was nice to sit.

* * *

The next day, the rain was torrential. Naruto had managed to get to Ichiraku's easily since he had the route memorized and could walk it in his sleep. Teuchi and Naruto watched as it looked like someone was dumping tubs of water down on the village. They knew they wouldn't get any business, but again… Naruto didn't want to leave Teuchi on his own all day. So, they sat in the stand, talking about whatever came to mind. Half way through the day, Naruto made a clone so at least it looked like there was a customer. That, and the unsaid hope that Kakashi would show up. Sure enough… a pair of Jounin rushed into the stand.

"We're not taking anymore missions today, Kakashi-senpai."

"I'll agree with you on that, Yamato." Kakashi nodded.

"Kakashi, Yamato-taichou!" Naruto's clone grinned widely at them.

"Oh, Naruto-kun." Yamato smiled.

"I'll grab… a few towels." Naruto said as Ayame.

This was good, two people would see Naruto. That should put some people's mind at ease. He hated worrying his friends. When he came back, Teuchi and the Jounin were ganging up on his clone. Naruto felt a pang of guilt for purposefully subjecting himself to something like this. Either way, he handed the towels to the soaked men and they began to dry themselves off. Yamato then sat on the clone's left and Kakashi on the clone's right. Naruto looked and could help but think that it was a tag team strategy.

"You seem relatively dry, Naruto." Kakashi said looking at the clone.

"I've been here for a few hours, Kakashi." The clone grinned.

"Where have you been otherwise? Hardly anyone's seen you lately." Yamato asked.

"Training, what else?" The clone glanced at Yamato.

"In this rain?" Yamato raised an eyebrow.

"Well, not this rain. I took a break today." The clone laughed. "What about you two?"

"We were on a mission." Kakashi grumbled.

"Through rain and snow, right?" Yamato also grumbled.

"I don't pity you." The clone snickered.

"Well, you're soaked through to your bones, how about ramen to warm you up?" Teuchi said with a grand smile.

"Sounds nice." Kakashi grinned.

"Not for me." Yamato shook his head.

"You don't like ramen, Yamato-taichou?" The clone asked.

"Last time I ate it with you and Kakashi-senpai; I ended up paying for it all." Yamato muttered forlornly.

Everyone laughed jovially at Yamato's expense. The brunette huffed a little and promptly folded his arms over his chest. Naruto placed the bowl in front of Kakashi and another one in front of his clone. The blonde wouldn't have to eat tonight, that was for sure. They all chatted with one another happily. By the time they were done and were ready to leave, Yamato ended up paying for Kakashi and Naruto again. He didn't realize how it happened until he reached his apartment and he cursed Kakashi's name. Naruto helped Teuchi close up and dashed to his apartment. He shut his door behind him and turned around. Straight into another body.

* * *

…………….You all know who it is, right? You know who's in his apartment right?

Well, I'll tell you right now. You're wrong. XD

And isn't it great how Ayame and Teuchi are like the Japanese version of bartenders? They hear everyone's problems. XD


	4. Chapter 3

Naruto slammed into another body, he sputtered briefly before pulling away and glaring at the person. They were smiling brightly; too brightly for such a gloomy day. The blonde practically groaned when he saw the shine from the presented teeth. Why, why of all people, why did Lee have to stop by? Naruto was ready to scream at his comrade who had just recently reached the Jounin status. Unfortunately, he was cut short with a bone crushing hug.

"NARUTO-KUN! I have found you! Sakura-san has been so worried for you!" Lee cried out.

"Lee, let him go, he can't breathe." A female voice came from behind the Jounin.

"Thanks, TenTen." Naruto gasped when he was released.

TenTen smiled and stood next to her former teammate. She wasn't a Jounin yet, but there were rumors forming recently that she would be one soon. Naruto was proud of them; he wanted Neji, Lee and TenTen to be the first team of his friends to become Jounin. They were one year older than his own team; it was only right. Naruto chuckled lightly and scratched the back of his neck absentmindedly.

"Yeah, sorry I haven't been around all that much. I've been helping out a friend with something. It takes up a lot of my time." Naruto said. "But, if anyone asks, tell them I'm training."

"Why do you not want anyone to know that you're helping a friend, Naruto-kun?" Lee asked.

"Because I'm helping with something very sensitive." Naruto said solemnly. "We don't want it to get out."

"Then why are you telling us, Naruto?" TenTen frowned at Naruto.

"Because Lee wouldn't leave me alone if I simply told you I was training!" To emphasize his point, the blonde jabbed a finger in Lee's direction.

"Oh, that makes sense." TenTen nodded.

"So, please keep it a secret you two." Naruto said with a grin. "And TenTen, make sure he does."

"Naruto-kuuuun." Lee pouted as he was obviously being pointed out as not the most capable secret keeper.

"I will, Naruto." TenTen giggled lightly.

"Anyways, do you guys what something to drink? You don't have to leave right away if you don't want to." Naruto said, walking into his kitchen.

"Thanks, but we just stopped by on our way back from a mission." TenTen said.

"Oh, well, next time… please don't break into my house." Naruto grinned.

"Sorry, we needed towels." Lee said sheepishly.

"Understandable, but still…" Naruto turned away from the kitchen and walked his two friends out.

The blonde waved to them and shut the door, locking it before thinking that he should get new locks sometime. He padded through into his room. He was still drenched and had only momentarily forgotten when Lee and TenTen were there. Now, the Chuunin needed to get out of his wet clothes. Naruto showered and got into dry clothes. He really hated the monsoon season. So much more laundry to do because of it. He grumbled and moved into the kitchen, grabbing for a piece of fruit from the basket Kakashi had left. Although, he could have sworn that he'd eaten more fruit yesterday, today it looked almost full again.

* * *

The next day, Naruto made a clone before he left his apartment. He left and headed down to Ichiraku's Ramen stand. Once there, he transformed into Ayame and met with Teuchi. They opened the shop like they had the past two weeks. The rain poured like it had the past two weeks. They chatted like they had the past two weeks. For a few hours, they sat chatting with one another. Then, they had a couple customers. Naruto felt his brain freeze up. Just how often was Kakashi going to come to this ramen stand? This time, he'd brought Sakura with him. Or was it the other way around? Ayame's form turned and headed into the house for towels.

"So, why'd you pull me out here, Sakura?" Kakashi drawled. It was obvious he wasn't happy to be out unnecessarily in the rain.

"Because you've been acting really weird lately. I was hoping Naruto would be here." Sakura sighed as she sat next to the Jounin.

"Here are a couple towels." Naruto handed them out to Kakashi and Sakura, smiling politely like Ayame would.

"You must be getting tired of washing towels right now, Ayame-san." Kakashi smiled and took the towel.

"Oh, no. It's nothing." Naruto allowed a blush to form on Ayame's cheeks.

Naruto turned to look at Teuchi. He was working on one bowl of ramen. Naruto silently pondered who'd ordered the bowl. Once Teuchi was finished, he placed it in front of Sakura. The blonde had to keep himself from pouting, no chance to see Kakashi's face today. Pity. Sakura started to eat the noodles that were in front of her and Kakashi sighed impatiently. The pink haired woman stopped briefly to look over at the Jounin with a questioningly expression.

"Sakura, if there's nothing else… can I go home now?" Kakashi mumbled.

"No. What's been going on lately, Kakashi?" Sakura went back to take another mouthful of the ramen.

"Nothing." Kakashi mumbled again.

"So… you shutting down like this whenever Naruto's not around means nothing?" Sakura asked with a light grin when Kakashi's head whipped around to her. "See beneath the underneath, right?"

"Tch… you're the only one that's ever taken that to heart in team seven." Kakashi grumbled and folded his arms.

"Kakashi, what's going on?" Sakura frowned at him.

"Nothing, Sakura." Kakashi grumbled a little more seriously.

"Listen, it's not easy to ignore you when you're acting so miserable." Sakura said with a small, sad smile. "Maybe you should just go visit Naruto."

"I did the other day… he wasn't there." Kakashi admitted angrily.

"He wasn't?" Sakura blinked a couple of times.

"He came to Ichiraku's the day after, but Yamato was with me." Kakashi added.

"Yamato-taichou?" Sakura's face broke out into a smile.

"Ne, Sakura… if you're wanting to continue giving me your opinion on Naruto, how about I give you some for Yamato." Kakashi looked at the kunoichi. "Don't wait, just tell him."

Naruto perked up at the sentence. What did Sakura need to tell Yamato? And what was this about Sakura giving Kakashi her opinion for him? The blonde was utterly confused.

"But…" Sakura blushed lightly.

"Sasuke isn't the guy for you, Sakura. You know that." Kakashi stated.

"Well… yes, but what if Yamato-taichou rejects me?" Sakura stared hard at the noodles in the bowl.

"He won't. I know he won't." Kakashi grins knowingly.

"Well, then you need to talk to Naruto." Sakura countered, looking a little more confident than before.

"It's not the same…" Kakashi grumbled and looked more serious once again.

"How is it not the same?" Sakura said.

"It's just not." Kakashi sighed and stood and walked out of the stand into the rain. "Now, I'm going home."

"Kakashi, visit Naruto!" Sakura called after the silver haired man.

Sakura finished her ramen quietly. Once she paid, she left in a rush. Naruto could only assume that she was heading off to talk to Yamato. It took Naruto only a few minutes to help Teuchi close up the ramen stand. He took a bowl of ramen that Teuchi made for him and headed off to his apartment. He reached his apartment and went in. The clone dispersed itself and Naruto learned of just how bored his clone had been all day. He chuckled lightly and set his ramen down in the kitchen. Then the blonde turned and wandered into his bathroom. He took a nice warm shower and changed into a set of nice dry clothing.

Once he stepped out, he heard water dripping onto his kitchen floor. Did the ramen container have a leak? Naruto quickly went to his kitchen and saw Kakashi sitting in a chair at his table. He was eyeing the ramen container lazily. Naruto froze and stared at the silver haired man. The Chuunin thought that Kakashi had gone home. Why was he here? The Jounin looked up at Naruto and gave a simple smile and his visible eye arched happily. Naruto felt a blush trying to push its way up into his cheeks, but he managed to force it back down.

"Kakashi?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Yo, Naruto." Kakashi tilted his head to the side a little.

"What're you doing here?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I haven't had a chance to talk with you for a while." Kakashi answered.

"You saw me the other day." Naruto pointed out.

"True, but I didn't get to actually talk with you." Kakashi chuckled. "Um, Naruto… can I borrow a towel? I'm rather soaked."

"Huh? Oh… sure." Naruto padded off into his bathroom and grabbed a towel.

The blonde came back to the kitchen and handed Kakashi the towel. He felt awkward around his former teacher. Just what was he supposed to talk about with Kakashi? It was rather trying. Naruto sat down in the chair across from Kakashi and folded his arms loosely. The silver haired man dried his hair off and slipped his water logged vest off. He took off his headband and removed his gloves. Naruto almost felt that Kakashi seemed a little too comfortable in his home. Kakashi draped the towel around his neck and looked over to Naruto.

"Hm?" Kakashi blinked, suddenly noticing that the blonde was wearing all grey. "No orange today, Naruto?"

"I haven't worn orange in the last few months, Kakashi." Naruto said.

"Why not? I thought you liked orange." Kakashi leaned forward and rested his chin on his palm.

"I do… but I like grays and silvers better." Naruto said sheepishly.

"Grays and silvers?" Kakashi's coal eye widened a fraction. "Why grays and silvers?"

Naruto shrugged and pondered the question before answering.

"Well… it's something from a long time ago. I just remember associating silver and gray with safety. And it always seems soothing and cool." Naruto grinned. "I honestly don't know why people always assume it with sad things."

Kakashi stared silently at the blonde. Something from a long time ago? Kakashi did know that he was one of the few people that had been apart of Naruto's life when he was a young boy. However, he always wore an ANBU mask. So, Naruto would have only ever seen his silver hair. A small smile crept along Kakashi's concealed lips. Could it be his fault for Naruto's fondness of those colors? The silver haired man could only hope. If it was true, maybe there was more of a chance for him than he thought. Still, it wouldn't be easy to coax the blonde into his arms.

* * *

See? I told you that you would be wrong! It wasn't Kakashi…. It was LEE AND TENTEN!

Now Kakashi's visiting him. Kakakakakaka!


	5. Chapter 4

The next day, Naruto woke up with a new vigor. Having been able to sit and talk with Kakashi yesterday was wonderful. He'd been needing that time with his former teacher. Especially, if he wanted to get to know the man and understand exactly what was going on. Naruto jumped from his bed and got dressed. He created a clone and grabbed a pear before heading out the door. The blonde bounded down the stairs into the rain, but it didn't even seem to dampen his spirits today. He walked into Teuchi's home and transformed into Ayame.

"You look pretty happy today, Naruto." Teuchi said with a smile.

"I had a nice conversation with Kakashi last night." Naruto's grin was visible even though it was Ayame's face that held it.

"So, he did stop by?" Teuchi raised an eyebrow briefly.

"Yes, he did. We talked and caught up on a lot." Naruto rubbed his neck a little. "Did you know he's fluent in six languages?"

"Six? That's a lot." Teuchi chuckled. "No wonder he slips in words every so often, I'd been wondering about that for a few years."

"Yeah, well… when you've been around him enough, you tend to ignore the random foreign words. Or you catch onto their meaning." Naruto laughed.

"I suppose so." Teuchi nodded.

The two walked out into the ramen stand and started to open up shop. Teuchi and Naruto laughed and talked in better humor than they had the past few days. It was nice to have such optimistic conversations again. Naruto was worried still, it had been nearly three weeks since Ayame and Teuchi had had their argument. The blonde didn't even know if Teuchi knew where Ayame had run off to. However, he didn't voice this, Teuchi had made it clear once that he would handle Ayame himself. Naruto always knew better than to go against the ramen stand owner. He could be quite scary when he wanted to be.

They watched the rain as it poured down. The monsoon season would be reaching its peak time soon. You could tell because it was not only pouring, but it was dark. It almost looked like night. Teuchi told Naruto he didn't have to stay today and Naruto just chuckled and leaned against the counter. He wasn't leaving Teuchi alone. He'd promised himself that he would help Teuchi. The owner of Ichiraku Ramen said Naruto should just release the Jutsu that made him Ayame and enjoy a bowl of ramen like he normally would. The blonde caved immediately, he dispelled the transformation and his clone at the same time. Luckily, his clone wasn't doing anything important. Or handling anything breakable.

"Naruto!" The blonde turned in time to see Sakura and Yamato dash in, drenched.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned widely and waved.

"I'll grab you both a towel." Teuchi smiled and headed into the house.

"Glad to see you." Sakura sat down next to the blonde and Yamato sat on her other side.

"You too." Naruto looked over at Yamato. "And you too, Yamato-taichou."

"It's good to see you as well, Naruto-kun." Yamato smiled.

"Here's a couple of towels." Teuchi handed over the towels to Yamato and Sakura.

"Naruto, you're dry. How long have you been here?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Well… I'd say about five hours or so?" Naruto chuckled.

"That long?!" Sakura blinked.

"If you have that much time to kill, you should go visit Kakashi-senpai." Yamato said listlessly.

"Huh? Why?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Because he-"

"Yamato, shh!" Sakura prodded the brunette in the side.

"Eh?" Naruto felt confusion well up.

"Anyways, when was the last time you saw Kakashi?" Sakura asked suddenly.

"Er… last night. He came over." Naruto said dully before Teuchi placed a bowl of ramen in front of him. "Yes! Thanks for the food!"

"He did? What did you two talk about?" Sakura smiled brightly.

"Um… all sorts of things… he asked me questions, I asked him questions." Naruto said between bites of the noodles that swirled in the bowl before him.

"Like what kind, Naruto!?" Sakura pouted.

"Eh? Oh, well… why I like grays and silvers. I found out he speaks six languages. Why I think Ero-sennin's books are boring. Does he practice looking as bored and lazy as he does? The answer is yes, actually." Naruto said absently. "Just a lot of things. It was nice getting to talk with him like that."

"That's so cute!" Sakura giggled before coughing to cover it up.

"Anyways, Naruto-kun." Yamato smiled. "What exactly is your relationship with Kakashi-senpai?"

"Um… captain and soldier? Comrades? Friends?" Naruto shrugs. "There are a lot of things we could be classified as."

"You don't get it, do you?" Sakura frowned.

"It's Naruto we're talking about here." Yamato chuckled.

"Hey… listen, I know I'm not the smartest guy around, but I do know when I'm being insulted." Naruto pouted and focused on his ramen.

"Sorry, Naruto." Sakura smiled apologetically.

"Just go see senpai. He caught a cold yesterday. He could use some company that doesn't get sick." Yamato smirked.

"He caught a cold yesterday?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"OH! From being in the rain… and I didn't have any clothes big enough for him to wear during his visit." Naruto said then blushed. "It's my fault then…"

Sakura and Yamato exchanged glances. Sure, it was practically evil of them to allow the blonde to blame himself. However, if it got him to go see Kakashi, then it was worth it. Kakashi would never admit his feelings for Naruto and Naruto was too dumb to see them. Sakura and Yamato just figured… let's give them a push. A little nudge forward and towards each other. It couldn't hurt, right? After the ramen, Naruto waved to Sakura and Yamato. He gave Teuchi a grin and a salute before running off into the direction of Kakashi's apartment. Naruto had only been there once.

It was brief and rather panicked. Tsunade was out for blood that time, Naruto's blood. He needed a hiding place to catch his breath before running again. Kakashi had allowed Naruto in with a bemusing expression. It was always rather fun to see Naruto in pure terror when running from either Tsunade or Sakura. The villagers thought it was rather funny as well. They would all hide Naruto, but Tsunade would always find him. Once, a woman hid Naruto in her closet. Tsunade threw the closet door open and Naruto burst out, tangled in women's clothing. The woman who had hid him wasn't upset in the least, she thought it was the most fun she'd ever had. Naruto and she became rather well acquainted after that.

The blonde finally made it to the silver haired Jounin's apartment and knocked on the door. He could hear a mumbling curse that if it was Gai with some crazy flu medicine, Kakashi would slaughter him. Naruto chuckled. Of course, Gai was probably lost without his eternal rival. So, the thick browed Jounin would certain have been bringing Kakashi all sorts of medicine. Some that were, more than likely, rather repulsive. Naruto shook his head and picked the lock of the door to allow him in. Now, not many people could pick the lock on Kakashi's door, but Naruto had practice. He had been locked out of his own apartment so many times, he was a pro. Though, he would never admit that he got locked out of his own accord half the time.

"Kakashi, it's me, Naruto." Naruto called out.

"Not Gai?" Kakashi asked with relief.

"No, not Gai-san." Naruto grinned and pulled his wet shoes off. "I'm drenched… I might drip water on the floor until I dry off…"

"You can wear some of my clothes… there's a towel in the bath…" Kakashi's voice muffled and Naruto could imagine the Jounin's face buried under a pillow.

"Alright." Naruto jogged towards the bathroom and grabbed a towel.

As he tried to keep himself from pooling water on the wood floors in Kakashi's apartment, he looked through the clothes. He found some things that would probably fit him and went back to the bathroom. The blonde peeled the cold, wet clothes off and dried himself some more. Finally, Naruto slipped on Kakashi's clothes and suddenly felt small. They were rather large on him. Luckily, the pants had drawstrings that he could use to keep them from falling down. The shirt had a rather wide neck. It made Naruto frown… he looked so "girly" in Kakashi's larger clothes. He didn't exactly have feminine features, but he looked small.

"So, Yamato told me you're sick." Naruto stepped out of the bathroom. "Because you were out in the rain yesterday."

"Not your fault…" Kakashi mumbled blearily.

"Well, it partially is. I didn't have anything for you to wear." Naruto stood beside the bed that Kakashi was currently sprawled out on.

"Also not your fault you're small…" Kakashi smiled.

"Hey… I'm trying to be nice here." Naruto grumbled.

"You are nice… very nice…" Kakashi mumbled out even more blearily than before.

"Hey, are you okay?" Naruto crouched down next to Kakashi's head.

"Yeah… because you're nice… so nice." Kakashi smiled and brought his hand up to touch Naruto's cheek. "And so sunny."

"Huh?" Naruto flushed at the hand. "Kakashi?"

He was greeted with soft snoring from the older man. Naruto bristled a little that the silver haired man fell asleep. Sighing, the blonde shifted and leaned his back against the bed. He'd stay there for the Jounin. If Kakashi needed anything, Naruto would be able to help him with it. He listened to the soft snoring that the man was emitting and Naruto smirked. So, the blonde wasn't the only one that snored in his sleep. This was a fun little piece of information that he tucked away for later use. Naruto sat quietly for an hour before falling asleep himself. His head lay back on the mattress near Kakashi's.

Soon after Naruto started emitting soft snores, the silver haired man was awoken. He was still half asleep when he saw the crown of blonde hair and whiskered cheeks. A dream perhaps? The Jounin smiled and stroked his fingers through the sunny hair and marveled at how real it felt. He didn't even notice that Naruto had woken up from the gentle touch. Kakashi didn't even see Naruto's eyes open when he pulled his mask down and planted a kiss on the blonde's lips. He didn't feel Naruto's body jerk and freeze at the same time. All he knew was that suddenly, there was a rough tug on his hair.

Kakashi winced and allowed his head to be yanked away. He felt his body wake up some more and found himself staring at a wide eyed, open mouthed, stuttering Naruto. Realization hit the Jounin like a ton of bricks. He'd kissed Naruto. It was a dream, he'd kissed the blonde. What would he do now? The Chuunin was obviously quite perturbed by this. Without a word, Naruto leapt to his feet and ran for the front door. Kakashi moved to get up, but a dizzy spell turned his world upside down and he fell to the hard wood floor below. He cursed from both the pain from hitting the floor and the pain of the look Naruto had given him.

* * *

… D'aww… Poor Kakashi. He fell down and went boom.

You can hit me all you want! I don't care! MWAHAHAHA! After all, I know what's going to happen next!


	6. Chapter 5

The next day, Kakashi forced himself out of the bed. He face was bruised from it slamming down onto the wood boards of his floor. It ached, but he had to get up and find Naruto. He knew he couldn't chase after the blonde yesterday, he was far too sick to even sit straight up. So, today, now that Kakashi could stand without getting dizzy, he needed to find Naruto. The silver haired Jounin didn't bother with his uniform, he just made sure his mask was secured. Slipping on a sweater and pants, he rushed out of the door, Naruto's clothes in hand. He'd need to give them back to the Chuunin after all.

Kakashi made a mad dash for Naruto's apartment. He hoped it was still early enough to get to the blonde before he woke up. The Jounin stopped in front of the door to Naruto's apartment and picked the lock. He was pretty sure the blonde wouldn't have let him in otherwise. Kakashi stepped into the apartment and looked around. He slid his shoes off. Then the silver haired man silently crept towards Naruto's bedroom. He opened the door and groaned. The blonde wasn't there. He checked the whole apartment.

"Naruto… dammit." Kakashi set the clothes on his bed and slumped down onto it as well.

The Jounin felt fevered again. He was still too sick. His body wouldn't move anymore. Kakashi's body flopped back onto the bed and his limbs felt as though they were ten thousand pounds. Mentally, he wanted to find Naruto at any costs. Physically, he wanted to stay in the bed and sleep. Unfortunately, his body won out over his mind. Kakashi fell asleep. He was drenched from the rain and he was fevered. His body became chilled while he slept and he wasn't even awake for it. When Naruto came back from Ichiraku's, he spotted shoes in the entryway. Naruto frowned deeply.

"Hello?" Naruto removed his own shoes and padded around his apartment.

He walked into his bedroom and spotted the shivering body of his former teacher. Naruto knew what this was. He'd seen Jiraiya in a state like this before after he'd almost killed him in Kyuubi form. Naruto rushed over to the bed and touched his hand to Kakashi's burning forehead. He watched Kakashi's body shiver uncontrollably before pulling the larger body up from the bed. Naruto propped the silver haired man up and half dragged, half carried him to the bathroom. Naruto turned the water on and began filling the tub with warm water. The blonde pulled Kakashi up and into the tub, slipping and falling in underneath.

"Ow. D-dammit." Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grumbled about being under Kakashi.

The Jounin's shivering calmed down and Naruto felt the fever even begin to leave the older man. He climbed out of the tub and pulled Kakashi with him. Naruto peeled the wet clothes from the silver haired, including the mask. Interestingly, he didn't seem to concentrate on the mask very hard. He looked embarrassedly at the boxers. He'd have to remove those as well. Naruto's face turned plum and he pulled the under shorts off. He had Kakashi's clothes that he'd run off with sitting in the bathroom with them. Luckily, the pants were dry. So, the blonde grabbed them and slipped the pants on quickly. Naruto hadn't been expected Kakashi to have been so well endowed…

Shaking his head and standing, he went into his room and quickly stripped. He grabbed some clothes from his closet and tossed the clothes Kakashi had brought off of the bed. The sheets were still wet, so Naruto pulled them off as well. He threw clean sheets onto the bed and messily fixed it up. The blonde darted into his bathroom and collected the Jounin from the ground. He once again struggled with the larger man and managed to topple the body onto his bed. Naruto placed a hand on Kakashi's forehead and frowned. He was still warm. The blonde got every blanket in his apartment and piled them onto the Jounin.

"Honestly, going out in this weather when you're already sick!" Naruto growled.

"Sorry…" Naruto jumped when he heard Kakashi's voice.

"Kakashi?" Naruto looked at the man's face.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Kakashi uttered dejectedly.

"For what?" Naruto asked sarcastically. "Getting sick and then nearly killing yourself by coming to my apartment when it's raining cats and dogs?"

"Yes… and for the kiss." Kakashi said.

"Oh…" Naruto's eyes widened as he recalled the kiss.

"I am sorry."

"So..." Naruto looked away. "It didn't mean anything, huh?"

"No. It didn't." Kakashi lied as best as he could.

"I see." Naruto felt rather depressed by that. "Well, you better get some rest… I don't need you dying over night."

"…Alright." Kakashi nodded solemnly and drifted to sleep.

* * *

Kakashi woke up and groaned at the pounding in his head. He looked up at the window that was next to Naruto's bed… it was dark out and raining. Despite the headache, he felt rather refreshed. He didn't feel sick anymore. Kakashi sat up and disentangled himself from the sheets and blankets. He stretched briefly before standing and leaving the bedroom. Naruto was lying on his couch with one blanket discarded on the ground. The Jounin allowed himself a small grin. However, upon closer inspection, Naruto looked to be in pain while he slept. He stepped closer and spotted dried tear marks on the blonde's whiskered cheeks.

Kakashi felt guilt, but for what? He didn't know. He couldn't possibly hope that Naruto was saddened when he lied and said the kiss meant nothing, could he? The Jounin lifted Naruto's legs and sat on the couch. He placed the legs back on his lap and sighed. He needed to talk to Naruto. Things needed to be cleared up. Unfortunately, it wouldn't happen. There was a knock at the door that jerked Naruto awake. He felt his feet on something that wasn't exactly the couch. The blonde's head whipped around to look at the Jounin. His face flared up and he tumbled off the couch.

"Naruto!?" The two men heard Sakura's voice ring out clearly.

"Sakura-chan?!" Naruto's face reddened even more.

He bolted for the door and opened it. Kakashi dashed into Naruto's room for his mask. He quickly slipped it on before coming back out. Naruto was flustered. Sakura and Yamato stood, surprising not drenched like they should be. Sakura saw the state of Naruto and allowed a soft squeal as she latched her arms around the blonde. Yamato chuckled and slid in around the two. He slipped his shoes off and glanced over at Kakashi. The silver haired man looked rather perplexed. Yamato grinned widely.

"So, you confessed?" Yamato asked.

"Confessed?" Kakashi blinked.

"I'm so happy for you Kakashi! Naruto, if he hurts you, I'll beat him to a pulp." Sakura added seriously.

"W-what?!" Naruto stuttered and extracted himself from the pink haired girl's embrace.

"Honestly, you two make such an adorable couple!" Sakura giggled happily.

"True enough. I'm so glad you finally acted on your feelings for once, Kakashi-senpai." Yamato added.

"I didn't-"

"Acted on his feelings?" Naruto felt like he was hit over the head with a book.

"Well, yes!" Sakura smiled. "Kakashi's been head over heels with you for years."

"…Head… over… heels?" Naruto's face reddened again. "Kakashi… you said… it didn't mean anything."

"Naruto-" Kakashi started, but the blonde glared at him harshly.

"Why did you lie?" Naruto asked almost eerily soft.

"I thought you hated it." Kakashi said forlornly.

"You shouldn't assume so much about me." Naruto frowned and went to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

"Kakashi-senpai?" Yamato looked over at the silver haired man.

"I didn't confess… the other day I was delusional, I thought I was dreaming and I kissed him. I thought he hated it… so I said it didn't mean anything." Kakashi explained.

"Kakashi, you idiot." Sakura sighed. "Naruto's gay. He thought he was in love with Sasuke… but he's recently found that it wasn't true. He's been starved for affection his whole life. So, when you gave it to him and then took it back, it wounded him pretty deeply."

"He is gay?" Kakashi looked at Sakura.

"Yes."  
"How long have you known?" Kakashi asked in surprise.

"When he came back with Jiraiya, he told me." Sakura answered. "He'd finally gotten over Sasuke and said he was ready for someone that appreciated him."  
Kakashi moved towards Naruto's bedroom door, but Yamato stopped him. He shook his head solemnly. Sakura sighed and stated that they should probably leave. Naruto was in his bedroom, sitting on his bed. He heard them leaving and he looked down at the floor. He looked at all of the imperfections in the grain of the wood. He had hoped… when he felt those lips. He had hoped that Kakashi meant something by it, but he'd been so scared. If he was delusional and didn't remember it, then what? The blonde sighed and stared out into the bleak, rainy sky. He looked down at the street and could just make out the form of Kakashi, Sakura and Yamato.

* * *

DOUBLE UPDATE!!! Le Heart! Le Heart!


	7. Chapter 6

Naruto woke up and glanced outside into the rainy skies. The rain had become rather treacherous since the previous day. He sat up and sighed unhappily. He needed to get to Teuchi and see if he was even going to open up shop today. Naruto made a clone and jogged out of his apartment. He made his way in the blinding rain towards the shop and entered the house. He shook himself and his hair, a lame attempt to remove the water from his body. He padded farther into the home.

"Ji-san! Are we opening shop today?" Naruto called out.

"Oh? Naruto?" The blonde heard Teuchi's voice come from the stand.

Naruto assumed that meant he was going to open the stand and as he stepped out into the stand, he transformed into Ayame. When he looked up, he was greeted by a surprise. There was Ayame herself, standing in front of him. Her eyes were puffy and she looked as though she had been crying. Teuchi looked rather emotional as well. At the counter… Kakashi sat, drenched and staring at Naruto confusedly. Naruto looked between the three and laughed nervously, releasing the transformation. Ayame blinked a couple of times before pointing at Naruto and glaring at her father.

"You had Naruto take time out of his schedule to pretend to be me!?" Ayame shouted.

"Well, yes." Teuchi admitted sheepishly.

"Ayame-nee-san, I haven't been all that busy lately, so it was alright. You guys know I'd do anything to help you out." Naruto chuckled.

"Still, you're a ninja that wants to be Hokage. You're not a ramen chef." Ayame's cheeks puffed out. "Now, I'm truly grateful that Hatake-san helped me back. You would have had to continue this longer."

"True, but when Ji-san asked… I couldn't refuse him." Naruto smiled. "And like I said, I haven't been busy the past few weeks."

"Few weeks?" Suddenly Kakashi spoke up.

"Yes, Naruto's been pretending to be Ayame for two and a half weeks now." Teuchi nodded.

"Two and a half… that means… you've heard what everyone's been talking about?" Kakashi stared at the blonde harshly.

Naruto didn't look at Kakashi. He didn't even seem to really be acknowledging his presence. The blonde just continued to smile at Ayame and Teuchi. It upset Kakashi to be ignored, but it infuriated him to be ignored by Naruto. He slammed his hands down on the counter and leaned towards the blonde. Naruto's body didn't even flinch at the rough movement of his former teacher. Instead, he just waved and said his farewell to the shop owner and his daughter. Then, he promptly turned and left the stand. Naruto rushed out the side door when he was sure no one would see him.

He didn't want to talk to Kakashi around Teuchi and Ayame. He was still very secretive of his sexuality and didn't like to let just anyone in on his personal business. So, if Kakashi still wanted to talk to him, he'd have to find the blonde. Sure enough, the moment Naruto left, Kakashi ran from the stand as well. This was entirely unexpected; Kakashi hadn't known that Ayame had been gone so long. He hadn't even known that Ayame had been gone in the first place. Kakashi leapt onto a roof, he could feel Naruto was nearby. He stuck out. Even when you couldn't physically see him, you could always feel him.

The blonde was like a beacon. That's what had always drawn Kakashi to him. Sure, the Jounin had tried to ignore Naruto, but that had failed constantly. You just couldn't ignore someone like Naruto. He made it so very difficult. The silver haired man followed his gut and trailed the blonde. He needed to talk to the Chuunin and was tired of being ignored so easily. Kakashi's head jerked when he realized that Naruto wasn't moving anymore. In fact, he'd suddenly found himself ahead of the blonde. The Jounin stopped and doubled back to where he felt Naruto.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" Kakashi heard Naruto's voice coming from the alley below and glanced down.

"Naruto?" Kakashi called out before thinking he shouldn't have said anything.

"Down here… I slipped. There was a loose shingle." Naruto answered.

"Oh, now you're talking to me?" Kakashi avoided the shingles by jumping down to where the voice sounded from.

"Sorry." Naruto was slumped over against the wall. "I just didn't want to get them involved."

"So, you ignored me?" Kakashi frowned and folded his arms, not offering assistance to the Chuunin.

"Yep!" Naruto said with a grin.

"Idiot." Kakashi felt himself falter at the answer that came from Naruto so easily.

"It's your fault, though." Naruto said standing up. "You should have been honest from the beginning."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow curiously. For once, however, he supposed that it was his fault. He shouldn't have assumed anything about Naruto. Especially, seeing as how he was Konoha's number one ninja at surprising people. Kakashi sighed resignedly and nodded. Naruto looked up at the sky and grimaced. He really did hate the rain. Truly. The blonde looked at Kakashi and smiled again. They were closer to the Jounin's apartment than Naruto's.

"Let's talk about this indoors." Naruto said. "Away from the rain."

"Hm?" Kakashi looked up at the sky before nodding in agreement.

The two set off towards the street and ran towards Kakashi's apartment. It was rather difficult when the rain grew heavier and heavier. Finally, they arrived to the hall in front of Kakashi's door. It was a relief to be out of the dense, cold rain. Kakashi stepped forward and unlocked the wood door before the two stepped in. Naruto followed his former teacher and removed his shoes along with the Jounin. They remained in pure silence; Kakashi got them towels and dry clothes. Neither seemed inclined to speak until they were warm and dry. Once Naruto exited Kakashi's room, dressed in the Jounin's clothes, he decided it was time to talk.

"You said that it was my fault." Kakashi started before Naruto could speak.

"Uh." Naruto stared at the silver haired man.

"You're probably right…" Kakashi sighed. "But I'd like to think that it's also my fault that you like silvers and grays."

"Hm?"

"You said that you started liking it a long time ago due to something. I used to come see you… when I was an ANBU… but you were so young, I didn't think you'd remember it." Kakashi said.

"It wasn't because of you." Naruto stated simply.

"Huh?" Kakashi drew his eyes up to the blonde.

"You came to visit me, huh?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… you sure it wasn't because of me?" Kakashi faltered again.

"I'm sure… because it was something Sandaime showed me." Naruto blinked and started laughing. "Actually… it was something that he showed me that belonged to my dad. It'll be mine when I become Hokage."

"Was it a type of Kunai?" Kakashi stood straighter.

"I think so." Naruto thought it over for a moment then nodded. "Yep, it was."

"Tch… so it wasn't me after all." Kakashi frowned.

"No. Sorry to have made you think otherwise." Naruto chuckled.

Kakashi grumbled and went to sit on his couch and eyed the blonde. Although the situation was rather tense, he couldn't stop himself from enjoying the view. Naruto looked rather adorable in his clothes. The blonde had certainly grown since Kakashi had first met him, but he was still shorter in comparison to his comrades. Naruto was always rather sensitive about the whole thing. He hated being smaller, but Kakashi appreciated it. That just made it easier for his imagination. The Jounin let out a sigh and looked up at the perplexed Chuunin.

"That kiss…" Naruto muttered.

"It did mean something." Kakashi said.

* * *

Kakakakaka… I hope you enjoyed this one.

Ayame's baaaaaaaaaaaaack! Yay!


	8. Chapter 7

Naruto stared at his teacher with a curious expression. He wasn't sure what was going on exactly. First, Kakashi kisses him when he'd been sick. Next, he says the kiss meant nothing. Now… his teacher switches again and says the kiss means something. What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say? He felt completely confused and yet he felt warm as well. For years, no one had ever given him any real affection. He didn't know what it was really like to be loved and held in warm arms. Then again, he wasn't sure if Kakashi was saying what he hoped he was.

"What'd it mean?" Naruto asked softly.

"I can't leave you alone." Kakashi stated. Naruto gave him a look that told him that wasn't a very good answer. "More like… I don't want to leave you alone, Naruto. I love being with you."

Naruto could feel the blood within his body rushing to his face. His cheeks flared and he almost slapped his hands over them to hide it. However, Kakashi tugged his mask off and Naruto could see the red that covered his cheeks as well. The blonde couldn't stop himself and he started snickering. Seeing his former teacher so flustered was a sight to behold. He told himself to file the image away for later use. He just knew that seeing Kakashi like this would be extremely rare. Naruto took a few steps towards where his former teacher sat and crouched down a couple of feet away.

"Then you shouldn't have lied, because I would have accepted you." Naruto said with a bright grin.

"Accepted me?" Kakashi glanced up at the blonde.

"Yeah. I've needed someone to show me what it's like to be loved romantically. While you're not exactly… a prime choice for that… I'd rather it be you than anyone else, Kakashi." Naruto's grin broadened into a beautiful smile.

Kakashi allowed himself to smile in response and reached forward to grab the Chuunin. He pulled the smaller body close and placed a kiss on the tan lips. He could feel Naruto's body stiffen for a moment and he pulled back. The blonde's face couldn't get any redder without starting to turn shades of purple, but he was heavy lidded and smiling. Apparently, that was Naruto's first deep kiss. The Jounin grinned mischievously and pulled his former student closer, licking the smiling lips. Naruto shivered and planted a kiss of his own on Kakashi's lips.

Naruto grumbled loudly and glared darkly at the desk that was filled with paperwork. He folded his arms crossly with one of his hands carrying a mission report. He hated it when the Hokage ran off to avoid work. He hated it even more when he had to find the Hokage. However, he absolutely abhorred mission reports, so when he'd actually have written one out and had it ready on time… someone better be there to accept it. When no one's there to accept the report… there would be hell to pay. The blonde stomped out of the office and radiating fury. Everyone in the hall stumbled to get out of his way.

Kotetsu and Izumo both raised a hand to wave, but retracted it immediately and jumped out of the rampaging blonde Jounin's way. They watched as Naruto stormed down the rest of the hall and disappeared. The two gave each other a look then felt grateful that they weren't the one Naruto was searching for. Kakashi chuckled and leaned back in the bench he was sitting at. He was reading a book, a new book that Naruto had written. Sure, it wasn't like the Icha Icha series, but it was certainly just as entertaining. It was no wonder that it was so popular. Turning the page he felt a foreboding shadow lurk up behind him. Kakashi tilted his head to look behind him and saw Naruto's former academy teacher, Iruka.

"Ah… Iruka-sensei." Kakashi gave the Chuunin a pleasant eye smile.

"Naruto's on the prowl." Iruka said.

"Oh, really?" Kakashi stood from the bench and stretched languidly. "Who is he looking for?"

"Hokage-sama." Iruka answered and looked around.

"Oh." Kakashi chuckled and gave Iruka a wave before disappearing.

Naruto stopped as he saw the exact person that he rage was fueling towards. The Jounin jumped up onto the fence behind the Hokage and waiting to until he was noticed. Sure enough, it didn't take long before he was waved down. Naruto smoothly jumped to stand in front of the Hokage and seethed.

"Tsunade-baa-chan…" Naruto growled.

"Naruto!" Tsunade giggled.

"You're drunk already!? It's only ten in the morning!" Naruto shouted.

"No… not already… still. I'm still drunk!" Tsunade smiled big and waved a bottle of sake in front of the blonde.

"I… could… kill… you!" Naruto growled again and lunged at the busty woman.

"That wouldn't be very smart." Naruto felt arms wrap around him and pull him away from strangling the Godaime.

"Kakashi! Put me down! This is the last time she disappears when I'm bringing a report!" Naruto flailed about in Kakashi's grip.

"Indeed… you know she'll never change." Kakashi chuckled and carried the blonde away.

"NO! TAKE ME BACK! I WANT TO KILL HER!" Naruto cried out.

"… Wait… Naruto had a report for me?" Tsunade blinked then giggled again and took another sip from her sake cup.

"Tsunade-sama… maybe we should go back before another Jounin or Chuunin come looking for you. Naruto-kun was the seventeenth one." Shizune said nervously.

"Pfft.. we'll be fine!" Tsunade smiled. "More sake!"

Kakashi finally set the blonde down once they reached the silver haired man's apartment. Only a month before, Naruto had moved in after many long and tedious days of Kakashi begging. After all, Yamato and Sakura were living together now and he wasn't about to be outdone by the wood user. Luckily, when he pitched the idea like that, Naruto begrudgingly agreed. Within one hour, Kakashi had the blonde's things all at his apartment and unpacked. Naruto thought it was rather amusing how eager the silver haired man had been.

"Kakashi…" Naruto growled out. "The hell?"

"Well, if you kill her… I'll end up Hokage because you're still too young in the council's eyes." Kakashi grinned. "And we both know how much I'd hate to become Hokage. Too much work and I'll never get those missions with you again."

"Right. Fine, fine… you win. Tsunade should be glad she has such great protection." Naruto pouted.

"I doubt she remembers these little episodes." Kakashi tugged his mask off and kissed the blonde. "So, now that you're back and your Genin team's resting… can we try that position I showed you last week?"

"Eh? Is that all you think about!?" Naruto shouted before Kakashi kissed him again.

* * *

THE END!

D'awwwwwwwwwwwww…. Yes, I don't write Lemons… sorry, I just don't. So, you'll have to make up the rest in your own minds. XD


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